Texas got what it needed out of September: a 4-0 start, two wins over Top-25 opponents, and a bye week before the grind really begins. But the first month also showed why this team still feels unfinished. The Longhorns have flashed elite talent, then backed it up with stretches of sloppiness, including a near late-game collapse against Tennessee.
Starting Oct. 10, Texas heads into eight straight SEC games. That stretch will answer a lot, and the biggest questions all point to the same theme: the Longhorns have to become more complete.
The offense is the first issue. After Steve Sarkisian used the transfer portal to bolster that side of the ball, the expectation was clear - Texas was supposed to look like a premier offense.
Instead, it has been inconsistent and has yet to settle into a true identity. That puts a lot on Arch Manning, but he can’t carry the whole load by himself.
Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, and the rest of the playmakers need to give this unit more punch, and the offensive line has to stop sliding backward. If the issues up front continue, the offense is going to keep fighting uphill.
The defense, though, has been the backbone. Will Muschamp’s group is coming off a 10-sack showing against Tennessee, and the front has been relentless, with Colin Simmons leading the charge.
Texas has made opposing quarterbacks miserable with pressure generated by a four-man rush, and so far no one has found a clean answer for Muschamp’s scheme. That’s a huge advantage, but it can’t become the only way Texas wins.
Eventually, an opponent will solve some of it, and the offense will have to meet the moment.
Special teams is the other area that needs cleaning up fast. Against Tennessee, the mistakes piled up: Qua Moss returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown to tie the game in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter Wingo fumbled an onside kick that gave Tennessee another chance to tie or take the lead.
Texas also misread several punts and gave away field position. In the kind of tight games the Longhorns are about to play, those lapses can’t keep happening.
Sarkisian said the issue right now comes down to depth.
“The biggest thing on special teams we need to get is we need more depth. If Juice Cryer and Rasheem Biles and Jelani McDonald, these guys are going to play this many snaps on defense - which deservedly so, we need other guys taking some of the heat off these guys on punt, punt return, kickoff coverage, and so we need the depth to step up," Sarkisian said.
In Other News...
Hero Kanu Sends Clear Message On Colin Simmons Controversy
The postgame conversation around Colin Simmons did not linger long inside the Texas locker room, at least not if Hero Kanu had anything to say about it. The Longhorns defensive lineman stepped up to defend his teammate after a controversial celebration against Tennessee, framing it as a split-second mistake in the heat of competition rather than anything deeper about who Simmons is away from the field.
Kanus response fit with the broader tone from the program, where Steve Sarkisian has made it clear he would rather see celebrations shared by the whole team than spotlighting one player. For Texas, it is a small but telling reminder of how quickly a moment can become a talking point, and how important it is for teammates to close ranks when the noise starts building around one of their own. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Bye Week Has To Fix One Growing Offensive Concern
Texas heads into the bye week undefeated and sitting at No. 1, but the narrow escape at Tennessee also left a clear reminder that the offense still has room to grow. The Longhorns have won enough to keep climbing, yet they have not consistently stretched defenses the way Steve Sarkisians best attacks usually do, with explosive plays showing up too rarely and big completions or runs hard to find.
Sarkisian now gets a break in the schedule to clean up that side of the ball, and the focus is on execution rather than trimming the playbook to compensate. For a team with championship expectations, the challenge in the next stretch is obvious: keep the wins coming while making the offense more dangerous when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Defense Could Expose Oklahoma Where It Hurts Most
Texas heads into the rivalry game with a defense that has earned the right to believe it can make life difficult for Oklahoma in several places at once. The Sooners have had trouble generating steady pressure on the quarterback, their run defense has been uneven, and their offense has not found much rhythm on the ground, which gives the Longhorns a chance to dictate the game with toughness and field position.
The bigger concern for Oklahoma is how often its offense has put itself in precarious spots, especially with John Mateer at the controls. Turnovers have been a recurring issue, and if Texas can keep forcing hurried decisions while also taking away the Sooners already limited rushing answers, the game could tilt quickly toward the Longhorns in a matchup where hidden mistakes tend to matter just as much as headline plays. [Read more 🡒]